The Development of Sociological Perspectives Transcript

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Functionalist Theory

  1. Society is a system of interrelated parts which each part performing a certain function that keeps the system in balance.
  2. Social stratification is necessary for society to fill important positions.
  3. Dysfunctions occur within society which results in a disruption of society; but the emphasis is on stability and consensus.

Functionalist Theorists

August Comte (1798 -1857)

  1. Coined the term sociology.
  2. Defined sociology as the study of social statics and social dynamics.
  3. Argued that sociology could be used to reform society.

Émile Durkheim (1858 – 1917)

  1. Developed the theory of functionalism.
  2. Argued that sociology should be used to reform society.
  3. Developed the ides of anomie.

Talcott Parsons (1902 – 1979)

  1. Major contributor to the development of functionalism.
  2. Society is system of interrelated parts.
  3. Trained a whole generation of America sociologists, including Robert Merton.

Robert Merton (1910 – 2003)

  1. Major contributor to the development of functionalism.
  2. Distinguished between manifest and latent functions.
  3. Developed the anomie theory of deviance.

Conflict Theory

  1. Society is seen as a struggle between groups over important social rewards and resources.
  2. Society is maintained not by consensus, but through the forces and coercion.
  3. Emphasize social inequalities related to class, gender (feminist theory), and ethnicity/race.

Conflict Theorists

Harriet Martineau (1802 – 1876)

  1. Translated the works of Auguste Comte.
  2. Advocated women rights, emancipation of slaves and religious tolerance.
  3. Emphasized the importance of class, gender and race in the study of society.

Karl Marx (1818 – 1883)

  1. Developed critical conflict theory.
  2. Emphasized the importance of class and class conflict.
  3. The purpose of social science was to study society in order to change it.

Max Weber (1864 – 1920)

  1. Developed a multidimensional view of society.
  2. Emphasized the importance of Verstehen for the study of individuals in society.
  3. Contributed to the understanding of large scale organizations.

Jane Addams (1860 – 1935)

  1. Established Hull House and juvenile court system in Chicago.
  2. Sociology should be used to reform society.
  3. Took an active role in helping disadvantaged people.

W.E.B. Du Bois (1868 – 1963)

  1. Developed conflict theory especially as it related to race relations.
  2. Conducted in-depth studies of African-Americans.
  3. Sociological research can assist in the struggle for racial equality.

Interactionist Theory

  1. Focuses on micro level society – individuals interaction with each other.
  2. Through social interaction people arrived at a shared meaning of human activity.
  3. Analyzes the meaning of symbols.

Interactionist Theorists

Charles H. Cooley (1864 – 1929)

  1. Focused on micro sociology – small groups.
  2. Developed the concept of the looking glass self.
  3. Emphasized the importance of primary and secondary groups.